TOW The Truth About Wendy
by OldMondlerLover
Summary: We all know Chandler quit his job and came home from Tulsa on Christmas because he missed Monica, but did she ever learn the "whole" story? This is another missing-scene about how Monica finds out about Wendy coming on to Chandler. This is one of the first "missing-scenes" I wanted to write when I started writing Fanfiction. Hope you like it!
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: First of all, thank you for your reviews, favorites & follows for all my stories. I appreciate each and every one and since many reviews are from "guests" I send a specific shout-out to you. Thank you. I am still mapping out a post-series, multi-chapter story. And, I have recently had an idea for an AU for how our favorite couple gets together. But these one-shots are still my favorite, so I won't abandon them completely. :) And this is actually going to be at least a couple chapters. Enjoy!**

Every inch of his body ached. His feet hurt, he was cold and he was ready to go somewhere, anywhere, and sit down with a cup of coffee and feel human again.

He looked forlornly at the clown in the window of the big toy store he was standing in front of, envying the character the little bench it was sitting on in the display. Monica was inside the store, getting just "one more thing" for the baby. They'd been shopping since about 8 in the morning and it was now almost 5 and getting dark. They'd stopped once to drop off the first load of packages at their apartment, grabbed a very quick sandwich, and set out again.

It was a Sunday during Christmas season in New York. The stores were crowded and the streets were crowded - and on a normal day they were crowded, so it was suffocating. When Monica's eyes were drawn to the toy store they were making their way past, he'd put his foot down. Kinda. He refused to go in, but he agreed to hold the few packages they had and wait outside for her.

Chandler smiled, despite himself, remembering when they'd gotten the call on Thanksgiving that someone had picked them to adopt a baby. It was the best news - ever. They were scheduled to go to Ohio and meet the birth mother just after the holidays. And they were trying so hard, so hard not to get too excited. They both knew it wasn't a done deal yet. But the excitement of the news and the magic of the holidays had completely taken over Monica. And, if he was truthful with himself, it had taken over him, too. They had waited so long and their biggest dream-come-true seemed to be waiting just around the corner. She was so excited and it was so fun for him to watch. He hadn't seen his wife this happy for a long time and he was determined to let her enjoy it.

"Sure beats the hell out of last Christmas," Chandler thought, thinking about flying home from Tulsa after quitting his job. Now he was always home with his wife, in a job he loved and was already winning accolades for doing well, and waiting for a baby to be born. It was exactly where he wanted to be. And if all went well, if all went as planned, next Christmas would be the best one of his life, with a little baby boy or girl celebrating with them.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone call his name. At first he thought it was Monica, but in the din of the evening crowd he wasn't sure.

"Chandler? Chandler Bing?" The female voice called.

And as if thinking about last Christmas made her appear, he turned around and came face-to-face with one of the reasons he'd left Tulsa.

Wendy.

"I thought that was you," she said, with a smile as her eyes ran up and down his body and she reached up to give him a hug.

Too taken by surprise to see her, he briefly hugged her back before taking a small step backward, putting some space between them. Her hair was longer than he thought it had been in Tulsa, but otherwise she hadn't changed since the last time he saw her.

"Hhh…hi" he stammered out. "Wha…what are you doing here?"

"Shopping," she laughed, gently touching his arm. "I live in New York now."

He took another small step back, though it was hard not to bump into other pedestrians in the process.

"Really?" he asked, eyes darting around in search of his wife, feeling more uncomfortable by the second. "Why?"

"Well, when you left so, um, suddenly last year I finished off the year-end paperwork and they promoted me to VP," she explained. "When what was supposed to be your year of service in Tulsa ended they asked me to move to the New York office and I said 'yes.' I've been here about six months now."

"Oh, wow, well, congratulations," he said, willing himself to relax. He was just talking to an old colleague, no big deal, he told himself. No need to feel awkward. "So you and your husband moved here, huh?"

"No," she said, taking a step closer to him and then looking into his eyes. "I'm divorced."

"Oh," he said, shifting again to avoid her gaze. "I'm…sorry."

Wendy shrugged. "It was a long time coming…"

Monica finally made her way out of the toy store and onto the heavily populated sidewalk. She knew Chandler was beat and ready to go sit somewhere. And she had to admit, she was tired, too. It had been a long day and after working a double-shift on her feet yesterday her legs were aching. In the toy store she had found a small, stuffed giraffe she thought was cute for the baby, but after taking one look at the length of the checkout line she had put it back. There would be plenty of time to shop for their baby, she'd told herself. "Their baby," she thought as she smiled and walked out of the store and into the cold New York air.

It took a little while to spot Chandler in the crowd because his back was to her. She was about to call out to him when she noticed he was talking to someone. It was a woman she didn't recognize. And this woman was standing very close to her husband, one hand on the sleeve of his coat. She was a pretty, petite brunette and for a split, panicked second Monica thought it might be Kathy. But, as she got closer she realized she had no clue who this woman was and reasoned that it was probably someone Chandler worked with at the advertising agency. She put a smile on her face and made her way over to them.

"Hi, honey," she said, linking her arm with Chandler's. She felt him jump in surprise as he dropped one of the packages on the sidewalk.

"Monica! Hi…hi, honey," he said a little too loudly, feeling jittery as he retrieved the package he'd dropped.

When he straightened up both Wendy and Monica looked at him expectantly to make introductions.

He let out a heavy sigh.

"This is my wife, Monica," he said to Wendy, as Monica linked her arm again with his and smiled at the woman. "Monica, this is…ah…Wendy."

Wendy? Wendy…the name rang a bell with Monica but she couldn't remember why.

"Nice to meet you, Wendy," she said, warmly. "Do you work with Chandler at the agency?"

"Um…agency?" Wendy said, looking to Chandler to explain.

"Ah…yes, I'm, um, in advertising now. I'm a copywriter," he said, wishing the awkwardness away. Wendy nodded.

"Oh," Monica said, confused. "So you don't work together?"

"Well, uh…we did…before," he said, wishing the sidewalk would open up and swallow him whole in that moment.

"In Tulsa," Wendy explained. "I was regional vice president when he was working in Tulsa and we worked together there. I took his old job and work in New York now."

Monica's smile froze and her body tensed up. She nodded in response. Wendy. In Tulsa. Second runner up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant. The Wendy who had caused her to have the most jealous anxiety she had ever experienced in her life one year ago. That Wendy.

"I see," Monica said politely, but Chandler could tell by her tone that being polite wasn't what she was thinking just then. She'd connected the dots. He had purposefully never told her about Wendy coming on to him in Tulsa because nothing had really happened. But he also never expected the two women to meet and never expected he'd have to explain that nothing happened.

"So, well," Chandler started quickly, plastering a smile on his face. "Great, great to see you Wendy, but we gotta go. Have a great time living in New York!"

He made a little wave and Wendy smiled at him and raked her eyes over him once more. Monica's eyes narrowed at the woman as the tight smile stayed frozen on her face.

"Thanks, Chandler. It was great to see you, too," Wendy said, then she looked at Monica and added. "You're a lucky woman, Monica. You have one hell of a man here."

"Yes, I do," Monica said, emphasizing every word through nearly clenched teeth. "Good bye, Wendy."

Silence fell over the couple as Wendy walked into the crowd. Chandler gave Monica a small smile, which she didn't return. The cold night air wasn't the only chill he felt.

"So, ah, have any luck in there?" he said, desperate to change the subject.

"No." she stated flatly.

Oh boy…

"Wanna go grab that coffee?" he asked, scouring the storefronts until his eyes fell on a Starbucks sign in the next block. "We could head over there."

"Fine," Monica said, turning in the direction of the coffee shop and pounding the pavement as quickly as she could, dodging people along the way.

He tried to keep up and was right behind her when he started to open his mouth to again attempt to change the subject, but in the end he knew it would be fruitless. He followed her to Starbucks, feeling very much like a man who was following the captain of a pirate ship as she led him to walk the plank.


	2. Chapter 2

Starbucks was crowded, and hot.

Monica managed to snag one stool at the far end of the barista counter by the window, the only place to sit in the whole coffee shop. He handed her the bags they had. She snatched them out of his hand without a word and sat down, glaring at him.

Chandler was now standing in a line at least 20 people deep watching his wife as she reorganized their three packages into one bag. That one action alone alerted Chandler to how upset she was. He sighed and shifted his gaze to the menu overhead. He tried to think of a way out of the confrontation looming before him. Saying "nothing happened" more than likely wouldn't be enough, even though it was the truth. He glanced at the customers in front of him. Well, he thought, at least he'd have a while to think about what he was going to say to his clearly peeved wife.

After sitting the now one package below her feet Monica had nothing to do but wait, and wonder. She was numb to the noise and crowd around her. Her mind was racing. What HAD happened in Tulsa last year? Did he come home because he missed her or because the temptation of the beauty queen was too great? How great? At least he'd come home, she thought to herself. But it had been so romantic when he swept into their apartment last Christmas. It had touched her more than he ever knew. She didn't even care that he quit his job. He did it for her, for them, or so she thought. But now maybe he'd done it because of HER.

If Chandler hadn't been so nervous just then, introducing her to Wendy, she may not have thought too much of it. But he was. And there was no mistaking Wendy's interest in her husband. She'd seen enough women look at Chandler that way to know lust when she saw it. He was much less insecure than he used to be, but his own self-deprecating humor, and the constant jokes from their friends, convinced him that he was less attractive then he was. But she knew that wasn't the case. He was a very handsome man and she'd stared down more than one woman she'd seen check him out. He was oblivious to it, which was part of his charm, and part of the reason she never once questioned he would ever cheat on her.

The thought of him with another woman made her shiver and literally made her heart ache. She wrapped her arms around herself and sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. They had never had a jealous relationship - certainly not like Ross and Rachel's had been over the years. He wasn't fond of Richard, of course, but she knew that he knew her heart belonged to only him. And she knew his heart was hers. She watched him now reading the labels on the coffee bean bags while he made his way to the front of the line. She tried to relax a little, and brace herself for the conversation ahead.

Chandler finally got their order in hand and squeezed his way through to where Monica was sitting. Having nowhere to sit himself, he leaned against the window and he handed her the coffee.

"Thanks," she murmured. He gave her a small smile.

She cleared her throat.

"So…that was Wendy, the beauty queen?" she said as she fiddled with the lid on her coffee, not looking up at him.

He took a deep breath.

"Yes, that was Wendy," he acknowledged. "She came in second…"

"Chandler…" she said, shooting him a warning look.

Too soon to joke, he thought. So noted.

A silence fell between them.

"Monica, nothing happened."

She shook her head.

"That's not true and you know it," she said, looking up at him.

"What?!" he said. For the first time Chandler was starting to get angry. How could she ever think he would cheat on her?

"You were as nervous as a school boy just now!" she said, her emotions starting to get the best of her again, keeping herself in check only because they were in a crowded, public place. "And she looked like she could devour you whole!"

"Mon…"

"I mean she's gorgeous. You were gone, alone with her far away," she said, beginning to ramble, all her fears coming to the surface. "You never told me about her, and…"

"Monica," he said more forcefully, taking her free hand in his. She stopped talking, looking down at her coffee again. He glanced at the older gentleman sitting on the stool next to his wife who had obviously overheard their conversation, He gave Chandler a sympathetic smile, and motioned for him to take his seat. Chandler nodded and muttered a "thank you" as he sat down. Monica turned to face him, and he realized that whatever scenario she concocted in her imagination would be much worse than what actually happened.

"OK," he started nervously. "Yes…OK…something did happen."

She felt the blood drain from her face as her heart slammed against her chest, but she didn't say a word.

He ran his hand through his hair. Just get it out, he told himself.

"When…when we hung up after talking last Christmas she…she picked up that the conversation had been…tense," he painfully explained. "I told her that you thought something might…ah…might…happen between her and me. And, well, we were alone in the conference room and she…she…ah…grabbed my tie, started to back me up against the wall, and asked me if it would be so bad if it did."

Slut - that was the only word that came immediately to Monica's mind. Her heart was hammering in her ears. If she ever saw that woman again she would so kick her ass!

She swallowed hard, looking at Chandler, and asked, her voice thick with emotion. "And…?"

He looked at her like she'd lost her mind.

"And? And?! I told her no!" he said a little more loudly then he should have. She immediately looked away. He sighed and gently touched her chin with his fingertips and encouraged her to look at him.

When she finally turned to him again he continued softly," I told her I was happily married."

He took both her hands in his. "I told her my wife was beautiful and smart and that what we had was pretty great so nothing was ever going to happen between us."

She blinked back tears she didn't know had formed in her eyes and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She gave him a small, relieved smile.

"So…she wasn't the reason you came home?" she asked softly.

He thought about that for a moment before answering.

"No…and, yes."

She looked at him, confused. He chuckled slightly, his lopsided grin coming across his face.

"Ironically, it was something she said and nothing she did that made it clear to me what I had to do," he said, his eyes shining at her. "She said 'if what you have with your wife is so great, then why are you spending Christmas with me?' And I didn't have an answer. I just….I knew I was done missing you. I knew it was time to come home."

The love she felt for him right then threatened to make her jump her husband right in the middle of the crowded Starbucks. Instead she squeezed his hands and looked into his eyes, nearly in tears and speechless.

He squeezed her hands in response, searching her face, knowing that telling her what happened was exactly what he had needed to do.

"Mon, Tulsa seems like an entire lifetime ago to me," he said. "It was like one long, bad dream that I've tried to forget about, honestly. Seeing Wendy surprised me and I never expected that I'd be introducing you two, but it was like seeing a bad part of the past. I hated leaving you every week, I hated that job, I hated the stress it created in…so many ways…"

They both knew the other was thinking about their inability to conceive during that tense time.

"And now," he said, smiling, stroking her cheek. "I'm with you, working at a job I love, shopping at Christmas for our baby. Our future is the only thing, only thing, that I can see. And I love it, Mon. I love you."

"I know, oh…" Her voice caught in her throat. She reached over to hug him, then softly kissed him, a tear escaping her eye. "Chandler, I know. I love you too, you will never know how much. I know. I'm sorry I got…upset. I know, I know there was no reason to."

"I probably should have told you…" he started.

"No," she shook her head, placing a finger on his lips. "I trust you, always. Let's, let's just drop this and go home. I'm sorry."

They smiled at each other and stood up to leave. He grabbed their bag and a thought struck him. He chuckled to himself.

"What?' she asked with a smile.

"Oh, it's…ah…" he said, unsure whether he should mention it since they seemed to have moved past the tension, but he was pretty sure she would appreciate it.

"You know what my first thought was when Wendy came onto me?" he asked.

"Um…do I want to know?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as they made their way out the door.

"She had stolen this ham - it's a long story," he said, with a wave of his hand. "But my first thought wasn't 'what is she doing?' my first thought was 'you're getting ham on my only tie.'"

Monica burst out laughing.

"Oh my God!" she said, smiling up at him, hugging him as they walked along the sidewalk. "You really are mine!"

He smiled down at her. "That I am, babe. That I am."


End file.
